Pranayama

Pranayama: 

regular breathwork, pranayama in Sanskrit and yogic terms, has been a great blessing to me through the years and never more so than now as I've worked throw some troubling times. Pranayama is a system of breathing techniques meant to harness what yogis believe to be is the universal energy of prana. It's an ancient yogic practice used to aid moving into asanas and to help prepare the mind for deeper meditation. These breathing techniques are so valuable and wide ranging in their use that they are categorized as the fourth limb of ashtanga yoga, considered vital to the more advance stages of realization. More recently modern science has become involved with the medical community realizing the healing power offered through the use of these ancient breathing techniques. They are definitely worth exploring for their many benefits ranging from stress reduction, lowering blood pressure, energizing the mind and body, bolstering the immune system, and a host of other means of healing. 

it's a daily tool for me and has been so for many years. 

prana is the vital force that permeates reality, it's believed to have originated from the sun and to be the energy that holds all of the elements together. More importantly, it's what distinguishes life from inanimate objects, it's the breath, the vitality of its motion that is the cause for us to be alive. Of course none of this need to be believed to gain the many benefits of pranayama, it's a healing system independent of these ancient beliefs and is available for anyone to try. 

again, for me, they've been a blessing. 

throughout my day I have several formal pranayama practices, just before my morning and afternoon meditation sessions, helping me to relax, deepening my practice. As well I take advantage of these tools as my day calls for, an immediate aid for stress reduction, to bolster energy and then later as a means to improve the quality of my sleep. The breath is always available for notice, never straying far from my attention, and just by the simple technique of following its path I am put immediately at ease. It's that powerful. There's no need to be as involved as I've described to take advantage of this practice, a few minutes of mindful breathing throughout the day will offer many benefits, or taking a breathing break and using a specif technique to address an issue is a powerful tool for healing. Most importantly, pranayama is ours to be used at anytime, our birthright, freely given to enhance the quality of our lives. 

it's a blessing, a healing, meant for us all. 

~

Peace, Eric